The Travel Connection

The best part about traveling to Ooty is that the drive through Bandipur, Mudumalai and Masinagudi is worth every minute spent on the road. Time and again i have heard that the drive through these jungles lead to more sightings than taking a safari through the interiors. And we were not disappointed. Like always the spotted deer gave us company all along Bandipur. Mudumalai proved to be even better with our friends elephants, peafowl, langurs, wild boars among other animals dropping in along the highway and greeting us with an smile. I am so tempted to get preachy on how people don't respect the distance factor but let's leave it for another day. As long as we are conversing about roads, it was enlightening to realize that the flat 2d google map is no match for the roadways on the hills. What looks like a straight road will have its curves and leave you wondering where to take the next turn. Was is it just me or has anyone experienced the same. The queen of hil...

Rajasthan had eluded me for  long time. I finally made the trip across its border recently. The pit stop was the pink city Jaipur.  Maybe because the wait was long, my expectations from the city was very high. I also realized that i  had misconceptions about the city. Both the expectation and the misconception were broken. More about it later. Considering I was there on an official trip, the time I had for sightseeing was limited. But I managed to  take in Amber place, Jal mahal palace, City palace and of course the Hawa Mahal in the old city. The expectation that was broken was the architecture. Don't worry , i am not getting technical here. To me it was a poor cousin of Fathepur Sikri. I had no idea that Rajasthani architecture was influenced by Mughal architecture to this extent. The architect in me who was hoping to see a new style had to be pacified and be replaced with the photographer me. No doubt of Jaipur's charm and its place in the world heritage...

Ladakh had been one of my dream destinations for as long as I can remember. Among the many emotions it offered me,  the long drives along the ever changing landscape captured my attention. No wonder it is a favorite destination among the bikers. Nothing like winding through nature and being part of it. The morning sun peeping through the mountain tops makes you want to jump off you bed irrespective of the sickness and start the day all colorful.   Believe that the  road had been laid just for me!  It is the path to get me closer to my destination after a bright start to my morning and all I have to do is take off from there. Me , myself and the road, teasing with glimpses of far away lands and dreams. The meandering melting snow , the green pastures , the yellow mustard field in middle of nowhere only heightens the experience. May this drive never end! The expanse of the blue sky only leads you closer to heaven. What is it about lada...

Om mani padme hum - Though i have heard this chant many a times at home , I had to Google the meaning as i sat down to write this blog. Why are some of us restricted by money and time that we don't sit down and reflect the memorable moments during the journey. Maybe recollecting it later and writing about it is a good way to relive the emotions and the moments. So i guess i am doing the right thing. In between the different pit stop , we spent a tranquil dawn at Thiksey monastery which is about 19kms from leh. The pre dawn wake up call was to be part of monastery's morning prayers . The drive through the Indus valley plains as the sun was peeping out was enough to drive the slumberness away. As we approached the monastery the size became apparent. The architecture with its vibrant colors became one with its surroundings. Why don't the modern buildings give us the same feeling. The stepped architecture came hand in hand with steps, lots of steps. You think you rea...

Though ladakh had been my dream destination, the fact that I would be white water rafting on zanskar made it even better. Now I had  tried my hand in rafting along the kali river and it only made hunger for a higher grade. The guide proclaimed that at a few stretches we would hit grade 3 and the mermaid in me was jumping with joy.  Unlike Kali river where the dress code included sarees, we were given body suits. The temperature on the day we went rafting was about 6 degrees and it was considered a good day to be rafting! After changing into our suit , we were taken along the Zanskar river for 14 kms drive to somewhere on the road to Chilling. I wonder why Zanskar is so brown. Is it because the brown minerals are bleeding into the river? Surrounded by mountains in multiple shades of brown, it all became one only to be framed by the vibrant blue of the sky. We had embarked on a brown water rafting and I couldn't wait! The drive seemed too long as I wanted to be pa...